Smart Device and Parameter Configuration System

The present application claims priority from the Chinese Invention Patent Application No. 202410648451.X filed on 23 May 2024, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present invention generally relates to the technical field of lighting fixtures, in particular to a smart device and a system for configurating parameters of lighting fixtures.

In contemporary large-scale stage performances, not only are the number and types of lighting fixtures increasing, but the lighting functionality is also becoming more sophisticated and demanding. For example, a medium-sized concert may involve over 1,000 lighting fixtures distributed over the stage. Conventionally, each lighting fixture must be assigned with a unique ID address before installation for individual identification, debugging, and configuration of parameters such as colour temperature and light colour. However, such method of individual configuration is highly time-consuming and presents a significant challenge for on-site setup and debugging.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a smart device and a parameter configuration system to solve the above-said problem that parameters can only be set for each lighting fixture individually and independently. The smart device is arranged with a user interface and multiple accommodating cavities enabling the smart device to accommodate multiple lighting fixtures. Through a control module, the smart device may simultaneously control the multiple lighting fixtures. In particular, the smart device may perform parameter configuration on the multiple lighting fixtures, and address setting on the multiple lighting fixtures simultaneously.

In accordance with a first aspect, the present application provides a smart device including:

Optionally, the smart device further comprises a control module including a control board used for controlling the one or more lighting fixtures.

Optionally, the control module further includes a first communication module; and when the one or more lighting fixtures are arranged in the accommodating part, the first communication module is configured to be in communication connection with the one or more lighting fixtures and the control board is used to control the one or more lighting fixtures through the first communication module.

Optionally, when the one or more lighting fixtures are arranged in the accommodating part, the control module is configured to be in communication connection with a target terminal so as to receive a set of target instructions sent by the target terminal, and the control module is used to configure lighting parameters of the one or more lighting fixtures based on the set of target instructions, so that the one or more lighting fixtures are operated with the target lighting parameters.

Optionally, the smart device further comprises one or more pairs of first transmitter and second transmitter mounted at the accommodating part corresponding to the one or more accommodating cavities respectively; and wherein for each accommodating cavity, a corresponding first transmitter is configured to transmit detection signals in a first direction and a corresponding second transmitter is configured to transmit detection signals in a second direction so as to detect whether the accommodating cavity is occupied by a lighting fixture, wherein the first direction and the second direction are different.

Optionally, the angle formed between the first direction and the second direction is 90°.

Optionally, the accommodating part further includes one or more pairs of first recess and second recess, and each pair of the first recess and the second recess are circumferentially arranged along an opening of a corresponding accommodating cavity and disposed at opposite sides of the accommodating cavity.

Optionally, the control module is further configured to transmit a target control signal for controlling the one or more pairs of first transmitter and second transmitter to transmit the detection signals.

In accordance with a second aspect, the present invention provides a parameter configuration system comprising lighting fixtures and a smart device according to the first aspect, and the lighting fixtures are accommodated in the smart device.

Optionally, the parameter configuration system further comprises a second communication module; when the lighting fixtures are arranged in the smart device, the second communication module is configured to be in communication connection with a target terminal so as to receive a set of target instructions sent by the target terminal; and the set of target instructions is used for configuring the lighting fixtures to work with the target lighting parameters.

Optionally, the parameter configuration system further comprises a connector arranged with a third communication module; when the lighting fixtures are accommodated in the smart device, the third communication module is configured to be in communication connection with a target terminal so as to receive a set of target instructions sent by the target terminal; and the set of target instructions is used for configuring the lighting fixtures to work with the target lighting parameters.

It can be seen that the following advantageous effects are achieved by adopting the embodiments of the present invention.

The smart device provided by the present invention comprises a casing body, an accommodating part and a control module, wherein the casing body is arranged with an accommodating space, an accommodating part arranged in the accommodating space and the accommodating part has at least one accommodating cavity for holding lighting fixture. The control module includes a control board configured to control the lighting fixture. The control board, which features a user interface, is installed on the casing body. The casing body is capable of accommodating multiple lighting fixtures simultaneously, allowing the control module to control and configure parameters, including address assignment, for all the lighting fixtures at the same time, and overcoming the limitations of conventional methods, which only allow for configuring lighting fixtures one by one, thereby significantly reducing the time required for parameter configuration in large-scale events.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions of the embodiments will be clearly and comprehensively described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the described embodiments represent only a portion of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all possible embodiments. Any other embodiments that can be conceived by those skilled in the art based on the disclosed embodiments, without involving inventive effort, are intended to fall within the scope of the present application.

The terms “first”, “second” and the like, as used in the description, claims, and accompanying drawings, are intended solely to distinguish between different elements and do not imply any specific sequence or chronological order. Furthermore, the terms “comprise”, “include”, “have” and any variations thereof are intended to denote non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not limited to only those explicitly listed, but may also include other steps or elements that are not listed or that are inherent to such process, method, system, article, or apparatus.

Reference herein to “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearances of such phrases in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, and separate or alternative embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Those skilled in the art will recognize, both explicitly and implicitly, that the embodiments described herein may be combined with one another in various ways without departing from the scope of the present application.

Some terms involved in the present application will be explained below:

The digital multiplexing (Digital Multiplex, DMX) protocol is a communication protocol for controlling stage lighting and special effect equipment, and is a widely used digital light control data transmission protocol. That is, each controlled light unit can realize digital light control as long as the requirements of the protocol are met. The control signals of DMX-512 or DMX-512A versions of DMX are in units of “frames”, and can drive 512 light loops at most per frame of data, which is also called 512 DMX channels in the industry. The effective DMX value for each DMX channel is between 0-255, a feature that allows users to achieve linear dimming of the light circuit by adjusting the DMX dimming value.

The lighting configuration parameters refer to various technical parameters and performance indexes for setting and adjusting the lighting fixtures so as to meet specific lighting requirements and use environments. These parameters may include brightness, colour temperature, colour consistency, power, efficiency, illumination angle, operating temperature range, etc. The parameter configuration of the lighting fixture may be realized by means of hardware adjustment, software programming or a combination of both.

Please refer to.is a schematic structural diagram of a parameter configuration system provided in one embodiment of the present application, andis a schematic structural diagram of smart device provided in one embodiment of the present application. As shown in, the parameter configuration systemmay include a smart deviceand one or more lighting fixtures.

As shown in, the smart deviceis used to configure parameters for the lighting fixtures. The smart deviceincludes: a casing bodyhaving an accommodating space; and an accommodating partarranged within the accommodating space. The accommodating partincludes one or more accommodating cavitiesA for holding one or more lighting fixturesrespectively; and one or more pairs of first transmitterand second transmittermounted at the accommodating part. Each pair of first transmitterand second transmittercorresponds to an accommodating cavityA. For each accommodating cavityA, a corresponding first transmitteris configured to transmit a detection signal in a first direction and a corresponding second transmitteris configured to transmit a second detection signal in a second direction for detecting whether a lighting fixtureis placed in the accommodating cavityA, wherein the first direction and the second direction are different.

In the embodiment of the present application, the first transmitterand the second transmittermay be at least one of the following: infrared transmitter, ultrasonic transmitter, wireless signal transmitter, and the like, which are not limited herein.

In a specific embodiment, each first transmittersand each second transmittermay be infrared emitters installed in the accommodating part. The first transmitterand the second transmittermay periodically or regularly emit detection signals, and the emitted detection signals will be propagated in a corresponding accommodating cavityA in the accommodating part. In this way, when a lighting fixtureis placed in the accommodating cavityA, the emitted detection signal will reach the lighting fixture, and the smart devicecan determine that the lighting fixturehas been placed in the accommodating cavityA, that is, the position of the lighting fixtureis detected. The number of accommodating cavitiesA may be, but not limited to, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, etc., and each accommodating cavityA is only used to accommodate one lighting fixture. When the smart deviceis used to configure the parameters of the lighting fixtures, all the accommodating cavitiesA may be occupied with lighting fixtures, or only some of the accommodating cavitiesA may be occupied with lighting fixtures. When there are multiple accommodating cavitiesA, each accommodating cavityA is arranged with a first transmitterand a second transmitter.

It should be explained that the first transmitterand the second transmittercan be transmitters of the same type or transmitters of different types; the first transmitterand the second transmittercan be embedded inside the accommodating partor disposed outside the accommodating part(as shown in).

In some embodiments, the accommodating partmay be made of a flexible material, or the smart devicemay further include one or more flexible members made of flexible material, and each flexible member is disposed in a corresponding accommodating cavityA and connected to a side wall of the corresponding accommodating cavityA.

The flexible material may be at least one of, but not limited to: foam, sponge and gel material.

In a specific embodiment, the flexible material mainly plays a role of buffering and provides a soft contact surface. On one hand, when the lighting fixturesare impacted or vibrated, part of energy can be absorbed to reduce influence of external vibration on the lighting fixturesand keep the lighting fixtures stable. On the other hand, a soft contact surface can be provided, so that scrabbing between the lighting fixturesand other hard components can be avoided, the pressure born by the lighting fixturesare reduced, and the service life of the lighting fixturesare prolonged.

In some embodiments, the first direction and the second direction form an angle of 90°. In other words, the first transmitterand the second transmitterare orthogonally arranged. With such arrangement, the emission directions of the detection signals of the two transmitters form an angle of 90° such that the coverage range of the detection signals is maximized, the detection blind area is reduced, and the position of each lighting fixtureare ensured to be effectively detected. As a result, the detection comprehensiveness is improved, enabling a more accurate determination of whether the lighting fixtureis in the accommodating cavityA.

In other embodiments, the angle formed by the first direction and the second direction may be other than 90°, such as 30°, 41°, 55°, 60°, 79°, 86° or any other suitable angles.

Please refer tofor some embodiments.is a schematic structural diagram of a smart device according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown, each of the accommodating cavitiesA is further arranged with a first recessB and a second recessC. The first recessB and the second recessC are arranged circumferentially along an opening of the accommodating cavityA and disposed opposite to each other. That is, the first recessB and the second recessC are disposed at opposite sides of the accommodating cavityA. It can be appreciated that when the user is taking/placing lighting fixturesfrom/in the accommodating cavityA, the first recessB and the second recessC can provide space for two fingers of the user to access the accommodating cavityA, that is, the first recessB and the second recessC are used as spaces for finger positions, thereby facilitating the user to perform the operation of taking and placing the lighting fixture.

Please refer tofor some embodiments.is a schematic structural diagram of a parameter configuration system according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown, the smart devicefurther includes an indication boarddisposed on one side of the accommodating part. The indication boardis arranged with one or more through holes. Each through hole includes a middle holeA, a first side holeB, and a second side holeC. The middle holeA is communicable with the first side holeB and the second side holeC. The middle holeA is aligned to a corresponding accommodating cavityA, the first side holeB is aligned to a corresponding first recessB, and the second side holeC is aligned to a corresponding second recessC. When a lighting fixtureis placed in the accommodating cavityA, the lighting fixtureis inserted into the middle holeA. When the user is taking and placing the lighting fixture, the first side holeB and the second side holeC are used for accommodating two fingers of the user, that is, the first side holeB and the second side holeC are used as spaces for finger positions so that the user can conveniently take and place the lighting fixture.

In some embodiments, the indication boardfurther includes one or more flag bitsD and one or more indicator lightsE, disposed adjacent to the one or more through holes respectively. Each flag bitD plays a role of a flag, and a user can determine the position of a corresponding lighting fixtureaccording to the flag bitD, so that the user can locate the lighting fixturequickly, and each indicator lightE can be used for indicating whether a corresponding accommodating cavityA is accommodating a lighting fixture. Specifically, when the smart devicedetects that a lighting fixtureis inserted in a accommodating cavityA, the corresponding indicator lightE may emit light of a first preset colour (for example, blue), and the indicator lightE is in a flashing state until the lighting fixtureis successfully connected to the smart device, and the indicator lightE emits light of a second preset colour (for example, green) and is in a stable state without flashing, which indicates that the lighting fixtureis in a stable state in the smart device.

It should be explained that the first preset colour and the second preset colour may be the same colour or different colours, and each of the accommodating cavitiesA is correspondingly provided with a flag bitD and an indicator lighting fixtureE.

In some embodiments, the smart devicefurther comprises a control module configured to transmit a target control signal for controlling the first transmitterand the second transmitterto transmit a detection signal respectively. That is, the first transmitterand the second transmitterare controlled by the same signal.

In a specific embodiment, the target control signal may be, but is not limited to, a voltage signal. When the transmitters are required to transmit the detection signals, the control module sends a target control signal to the first transmitterand the second transmitter, and after the two transmitters receive the target control signal, corresponding operations are performed. For example, the target control signal may be a high-level signal, when the first transmitterand the second transmitterreceive the high-level signal, the first transmitterand the second transmittertransmit detection signals. For example, the target control signal may be a low-level signal, and when the first transmitterand the second transmitterreceive the low-level signal, the first transmitterand the second transmitterdo not transmit any detection signals.

It should be noted that the method for controlling the transmitters described above is only one possible method, and in practical implementation, other methods may be used to control the transmitters.

In some embodiments, the smart devicefurther comprises a power supply module(as shown in), the power supply moduleis configured to supply power to all of the lighting fixtures.

In a specific embodiment, the power supply modulemay be an energy storage battery or a rechargeable battery, and the power supply modulemay be connected to the lighting fixturesthrough connection lines, so that all the lighting fixturesplaced in the smart deviceare powered through the power supply module. Therefore, it is not required to provide each lighting fixturewith a battery, thereby providing a condition for configuring parameters for all the lighting fixturesat the same time.

In some embodiments, the smart devicefurther includes a control module, where the control module includes a control board(as shown in) and a first communication module. The first communication module is used to make a communication connection with each of the lighting fixturesafter the lighting fixtureis disposed in the accommodating part, and the control boardis used to control the lighting fixturethrough the first communication module.

In the embodiments of the present invention, the first communication module may include at least one of: WiFi module, Bluetooth module, UHF high-frequency module and the like, which are not limited herein. Each of the lighting fixturescomprises a second communication module, which may comprise at least one of: WiFi module, Bluetooth module, infrared module, and UHF high frequency module. At least one button may be provided on the control board, and each button corresponds to a different function.

In a specific embodiment, taking that the first communication module includes a WiFi module as an example, when a lighting fixtureis disposed at the accommodating part, the WiFi module in the first communication module is in communication connection with the WiFi module of the lighting fixture, and at this time, the smart deviceand the lighting fixturecommunicate through WiFi and perform functions corresponding to buttons on the control board. For example, when a button on the control boardis pressed, the control boardsends an instruction. The instruction is sent to the WiFi module of the lighting fixturethrough the WiFi module in the first communication module, and after receiving the instruction, the lighting fixtureexecutes a function corresponding to the button.

In some embodiments, the lighting fixturemay include a target receiver, which may be, but is not limited to, an infrared receiver. The target receiver may receive the detection signals transmitted by a corresponding first transmitterand a corresponding second transmitter.

The specific process of detecting whether a lighting fixtureis disposed in the accommodating cavityA by the first transmitterand the second transmittermay include: first, a first detection signal is transmitted by the first transmitterin a first direction, and a second detection signal is transmitted by the second transmitterin a second direction, wherein when either one of the two detection signals is received by a target receiver in the lighting fixture, it indicates that the lighting fixturehas been placed in the accommodating cavityA. In this process, the second communication module in the lighting fixturemay be used to communicate with the first communication module in the smart device, so as to indicate that the lighting fixtureis already located in the accommodating cavityA. For example, when the target receiver receives the detection signal sent by the first transmitteror the second transmitter, the WiFi module in the second communication module sends a specific signal (for example, a signal containing an identifier of the lighting fixture) to the WiFi module in the first communication module, and the control boardof the smart devicemay determine that the lighting fixtureis already located in the accommodating cavityA based on the specific signal.

In some embodiments, the control boardmay include a CPU, through which a wireless access point (AP), such as Wifi AP, is turned on, after the smart devicedetermines that the lighting fixtureis disposed in the accommodating cavityA, a preset infrared code (similar to an infrared remote controller) may be sent to the lighting fixturethrough the control module. The preset infrared code may include information required for accessing the Wifi AP, for example, a Wifi AP name, an access password, etc. Then, the target receiver in the lighting fixturemay receive the preset infrared code, a Wifi module in the lighting fixturemay be connected to the Wifi AP according to the information in the preset infrared code, and then, the lighting fixturemay perform a function corresponding to a pressed button on the control boardthrough Wifi communication.

It should be noted that, the target receiver may be embedded in the lighting fixtureor may be exposed outside the lighting fixture. Among the accommodating cavitiesA, each accommodating cavity corresponds to one first transmitterand one second transmitter. Moreover, the detection signals emitted by the corresponding first transmitterand second transmittercan only propagate in the accommodating cavity, so as to prevent interference to other accommodating cavities.

Further, the smart deviceincludes a casing body, an accommodating part, a control board, a power supply module, and a plurality of lighting fixtures, wherein each of the lighting fixturesis disposed in a corresponding accommodating cavityA in the accommodation part, and each of the accommodating cavitiesA corresponds to one of the lighting fixtures.